


Strange Mechanics

by navaan



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Captain America: The First Avenger, First Meetings (or not), Foreshadowing, Implied Time Travel, M/M, Pre-Slash, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 08:43:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14161047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/navaan/pseuds/navaan
Summary: Steve is hell bent on ending Hydra before it's too late. Right before he leaves he meets a strange mechanic on base.





	Strange Mechanics

**Author's Note:**

> This is my tribute fic or the _Captain America: The First Avenger_ movie for Cap-IronMan MCU tribute project for the 10 Years of MCU celebration of the Cap-IM community. Also a fill for my stony bingo card, "time travel to the past".

It took a lot for Peggy to make him get up and leave the burned down pub. She smiled at him in sympathy with her perfectly painted lips and the eyes that say: “I understand.”

She did. He knew. They'd all lost someone.

To him it even felt like he'd lost his best friend twice.

He gave himself another hour to wallow in misery and grief and then he got himself up and made his way back towards the SSR base and next on a plane to the front where Captain America was needed. Setting out to fight in this war, he had only seen the bigger picture and he had wanted to do his part. By now he had seen the edge of war. Too many people had died to put a simple dent into Hydra's terrible war machine, now it was time to take it apart once and for all.

And Skull was perhaps crazier than Hitler himself. 

He'd seen the transcripts of Phillips' Zola interrogation.

Hydra was at war with everyone. They were ready to destroy the world if it helped them gain power or leave their stamp on history. Word from their SRR agents in Berlin was that even the Führer was afraid of Skull and his Hydra elite forces.

Steve knew it was time to put an end to it. This was why Erskine had made him who he was now.

General Phillips walked with him through camp and only a few people looked up at him, but those who did, did so with awe. Some men saluted and he nodded at them in passing. He understood what seeing him walk through camp clad in the Captain America garb meant to them. 

The Commandos were out in the field and Steve would have time to prep before he followed, but he wanted to go out as soon as possible. They had as much information on the Hydra base as they would get.

He walked to the yard to get a bike. After all he knew he had some way to go.

“Any of these ready to go?” he asked when he saw a man crouch beside a bag of tools. He was wearing a strange non-issue army cap that was pulled down over the eyes, obscuring his features, and a white tank top that was smeared with grease and oil. From where he was standing Steve could only see his strong back and the muscled arms, that were also dirty with black stains and muddy sprinkles. The mud around here was hard to avoid.

Steve's sudden request seemed to have startled him and he looked up at him briefly. “Wow,” he said with a note of breathless exasperation, “Captain America in the flesh, look at that.”

Because that was the least awed reaction he'd received since his return to camp, he mustered up a grin. “In the flesh and in need of a bike. If you have one for me?”

The man cocked his head to the side to study him and Steve got a short glimpse of his face and narrowed brown eyes. There was a bruise on his cheek and he sported a perfect van Dyke. That was a rarity out here, not least of all because it wasn't exactly army regulation. Taking note of all these details, he tried not to smile benignly although he had a hard time hiding his amusement. Either he had caught an extremely careless saboteur or he'd found himself a man with a bit of a rebellious streak. With the later he had some experience.

Prompting the man who seemed suddenly at a loss for words, he asked: “How about hat one?”

He nodded towards and army issue motorcycle close-by that had caught his eye right away. 

“Hmm, hmm. Davidson WLA Liberator Army motorcycle. A classic. But look around they all are.”

A note of appreciation mingled with the mocking tone and it was a weird choice to call any of the army issue motorcycles “classic”. They were what was at hand and did the job. 

Steve chuckled. With his luck he must have found the most insolent mechanic out here.

The man came to his feet and from up close Steve could see that there was another bruise along his arm. Had he seen action or been in a bar fight? Hard to tell without more information.

“You have a good eye for bikes,” the man said in a slightly conspiratorial chattery tone, then surprised Steve by stepping past him and clapping him on the shoulder like they knew each other well. “Tell you what I'll make her ready for you in no time.”

Startled and amused, Steve just grinned after him, let his eyes slide along the line of the man's back to the army issued pants he was wearing that seemed to be at least two sizes to small. 

But he wore them well.

Aware that he wasn't supposed to be staring at a fellow soldiers buttocks in the middle of camp where everyone could observe him he turned his face away. He should be thinking about Agent Carter's red lips – or better yet about his choice of transport. 

“Okay,” Steve said and nodded. “I'll come pick it up tomorrow.”

The man made a thoughtful sound and let his hand glide along the seat as if he was assessing the built of the motorcycle. “Lots of time to make sure she works at top capacity.”

Ready to go Steve nodded.

“Heading out tomorrow?”

He looked over his shoulder “Yeah,” he said. “Heading out.”

The man nodded at him and Steve could only see his mouth from here, teeth worrying his lower lip, lost in thought. “I'll make sure the bike won't disappoint, Captain.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Can't promise I'll bring her back in one piece, but I'll try.”

“Oh, yeah, well... Don't bother,” the man said. “As long as you come back.”

He thought of Bucky falling to his death. “Can't promise that either, I'm afraid.”

“Oh, you will,” the mechanic said with some conviction and nodded to himself. “Come back, that is. Might take some time, but you will.”

Touched by the believe in Steve's abilities of survival he nodded at the mechanic one last time, trying to catch the man's eye, but he had already turned back to his work.

* * *

The next day he went to get the Davidson. It waited for him ready as promised, but none of the men around were the one he'd talked to.

“Where is the...” He realized he had no name and couldn't even give a better description than “van Dyke and enticing bottom” and that wouldn't go over well. Biting his lip he shut up.

“It's yours, Cap. Paperwork has been cleared,” the officer in charge said.

He walked over to it, steeling himself for the battle he'd be throwing himself into soon. 

Then he noticed the plain envelope sticking to the leather of the seat. He opened it and found a neatly folded piece of paper.

> She'll hold. Gave her some reinforcements. Press the button on the left if you want to get rid of someone behind you. Enhanced the flame thrower the old man installed. She's as good as I could make her for what lies ahead. 
> 
> The world needs you, Cap. I do.
> 
> See ya around in a bit,
> 
> XXX the Mechanic.

Not sure what to think of it he folded the note and stuffed the envelope in his jacket pocket.

“Who got the bike ready?” he asked the officer he'd talked to first. 

“No idea. But we checked it over and it's in better condition than the others. Whoever it was did a perfect job.”

“No saboteur then?”

“We _checked_. Some stuff disappeared last night... and there was this red head... never mind. We were a bit nervous, but... She's good as new. Better than before.”

“Hmm.” He huffed and swung into the seat ready to go out. An honest thief? He would try and figure it out if he ever had the time. The note made it sound like the man planned on turning up around here again.

No time to ponder it now, he decided to put his trust in the honesty of a stranger and drove out of camp with a last salute at the cheering men.

Time to hit Hydra where it hurt before the Valkyrie could turn the war against them.

**Author's Note:**

> You can follow me for fic updates on [tumblr](https://navaanwrites.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/navaanwrites). This fic has a post on the tumblr [here](https://navaanwrites.tumblr.com/post/172453172284/strange-mechanics-navaan-captain-america) in case you want to share it. It also has a page on my [Dreamwidth](https://navaan.dreamwidth.org/600704.html).


End file.
